Author: robert@insidepassage.ca

Welcome to this weeks publication of Heart Hand and Eye, Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking’s publication which highlights the work of our students, alumni and faculty. Remember to check in next week when we will be unveiling exciting new changes underway with our facility.

Warmest Regards,
Robert

JK Lectures

As with many of JK’s lectures Jim spoke not only about our selected topic , in this case plane making but about our craft. We have made some progress in making available snippets of Jim’s lectures available online in the form of pod casts. We hope to have a few uploaded in the coming weeks.

Resident Journeyman Program

Doug Ives from Gibsons British Columbia uses his fine wooden smoother made in the inaugural Craftsman Program to dial in the fit of the archway of his cabinet. Doug continues to be a be a gentle and patient mentor and ambassador for our school and our students.

Dry fit of stand with seven sided legs in African Mahogany by Juan Carlos from Caracas Venezuela. Juan Carlos had intend to have a lower rail system but after mocking it up it was decided that it was best without. The rails are bent laminations and they are attached to the legs using twin angled mortise and tenon. Juan Carlos and his work set a fine example of what our school is all about.

Paul Nielsen (right) and his lovely wife Robyn of Evergreen Alabama will be leaving us this week. A farewell party will be held in their honor tonight at Varco Beach. Paul and Robyn will be dearly missed by all of us at the school and by our community. It is amazing the impact our students and their families have made on our small community.

Artisan Program

Jack West from Fort Jones California uses one of our Davis & Wells boring machines to drill for the locator dowels for one of three planes he made at the school this week. Jack is the first to arrive each morning, his enthusiasm for the craft is inspiring to us all.

Kunga Delotsange from New York via Tibet uses one of our domestic General shapers to run the slot for his cape screw on his second plane of bocote. Kunga and his family are a welcome addition to our small oceanside community.

Kathleen Murphy from Edmonton Alberta uses a file with a safe edge to shape a cross pine for one of her planes made this week. Kathleen has taken full advantage of her time here and has immersed herself in the craft building upon her commercial cabinetmaking background.

Josh Shrae from Anchorage Alaska flushes up locator dowels prior to the glue up of his first plane of jatoba. Josh has made a few wooden planes prior to arriving to the school and spent the week learning how to dial in each of these planes and still managed to make a few more.

Chris Moore from Redmond Washington uses the #80 cabinet scraper from one of our student tool kits to make pristine shavings. Chris completed three planes and began a fourth at the school this week.

Jamie Laternus from Vancouver British Columbia here for his third class here at the school, uses a cabinet scraper to prepare the inside surfaces of his center block prior to cutting the ramps for his first plane. Jamie donated a laptop for our students replacing the desktop computer in our gallery he donated a few years back. Jamie will be returning in a few weeks with several students who have taken classes with Jamie in the past. It will be somewhat of a class reunion. Always nice to have Jamie back.

Chuck Taylor from Everett Washington begins the initial shaping of his first of two planes made at the school this week. Chuck is an avid tool collector and a wealth of knowledge. The above plane took lovely shavings and once the shaping was complete was a delight to hold in your hand.

Lars Carlson from Ephrata Washington uses a card scraper to clean up the surfaces of his first plane. Lars made a second plane, a smoother out of castello boxwood. Lars had made wooden planes prior to coming to our school and this week learned how to make them sing.

Brian Larson from Lacombe Alberta lays out for the cross pin on one of his six planes made this week at the school. Brian is a teacher and will be incorporating plane making into his college curriculum for teacher education. Brian and his lovely wife took advantage of our lovely weather and drove up the coast and hiked into Skookumchuck Narrows on Thursday evening.

Faculty

Resident Craftsman & Teacher Robert Van Norman talks about the many subtleties which effect the performance of a wooden plane. On Saturday Artisan students were given an optional day in the shop and used the time to making shooting boards and making more planes.

Facility

Doug and Robert prepare a large carving blank of local red cedar for Bradley Hunt and his sons Shawn and Dean.

Alumni

The above marquetry by Jason Klager of Prince George British Columbia is was featured in a recent publication of Fine Woodworking Magazine. This week the cabinet was purchased by Artisan alumni and patron of the school Jim Astorian of Germany.

We are in the process of setting up websites for each of our Craftsman Program alumni. Please forward any images or text you would like included on your web page including a biography to yvonne@insidepassage.ca

Artisan & Craftsman for Programs 2008 -2009

There is limited space available in our Artisan Programs for 2008. If you would you would like more information or would like to register call Yvonne toll free at 1.877.943.9663. Alternatively registrations may be faxed to 1.604.885.9711.

We have confirmed our first-year students for the 2008-2009 Craftsman Program. The group consists of men and women from Japan, Ireland, Columbia, United States & Canada. We are currently accepting applications for the 2009-2010 Craftsman Program.

Artisan Program Schedule for 2009

New Program

Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking is pleased to announce the addition of a new program at the school. The Resident Artisan Program picks up where the Artisan Program leaves off allowing graduates of our Artisan Program the opportunity to return to the school and for the designing and making of a fine piece of furniture under the direction of Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking Faculty and Resident Craftsman.

The Resident Artisan Program provides a great opportunity to refine existing skills and develop new skills in a relaxed and creative environment conducive to doing fine work.

There is limited space in this program. Currently the first session is full and we are accepting registrations for the second session which runs from July 14th to August 22nd 2008. We are now booking Resident Artisan Registrations for 2009. If you would like more information about this program contact Yvonne at 1.877.943.9663 and arrange for an initial consultation with our Program Director.

New Student Work, photography by Ingeborg Suzanne

The above photograph shows the neatly carved pull of secupera (from the last piece on earth according to JK) on cocobolo drawer front by Paul Nielsen on Evergreen Alabama. We have several student pieces in for photography, we have included a few new images below. Watch for more work in upcoming publications of Benchroom this Week and on the Alumni Pages.

If you would like to see the work in person, make plans now to attend our annual student, alumni and faculty show which takes place in the James & Britta Krenov Gallery and Gallery Five located just across the courtyard next month. For more information contact the school toll free 1.877.943.9663 or see the poster below.

JK Lectures

The Plague (actually a nasty flu) made its way through the school this past week. With many of our students and faculty away, we postponed Jim’s discussion on chairs until next week. While Jim is quick to point out that chairs have never been the focus of his work, his insights into this aspect of our craft have been invaluable to our faculty and students.

Jim Krenov continues to lecture on a weekly basis. Segments from these lectures will soon be available on our website. We are very grateful for Jim’s evolvement with the school. His words continue to inspire a new generation of craftsmen.

Journeyman Program

We are putting together the Journeyman Program schedule for this coming fall and spring. We are grateful to have our alumni and the alumni from the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program assist with the curriculum delivery. Each year we have had several visiting craftsman, each providing our students a fresh perspective into the limitless possibilities which exist within our craft. The above wall cabinet was made by alumni Lael Gordon of Anchorage Alaska while at the school. Lael’s second piece, a whiskey cabinet was recently featured in Fine Woodworking magazine.

Resident Craftsman Program

Doug Ives from Gibsons British Columbia uses a negative template to select the materials for his applied edges for his cabinet. With his cabinet assembly complete Doug is moving onto the stand. Doug has a real presence in the shop, his wealth of experience and warm and patient nature has made him a real go to guy. We are grateful that Doug’s evolvement will continue following his second year.

Juan Carlos Fernandez from Caracas Venezuela masks off for prefinishing before the final assembly of his compound curved parquetry cabinet of redwood burl, African mahogany and local fir. Juan has his hinges dialed in and in the coming days will be completing the final assemblies of his piece before moving onto the fitting of doors and the making of his stand to be made also of mahogany. Juan will be joining our faculty following the program.

Craftsman Program

Leg detail from kwila side table by Ed Tickle from Kamloops British Columbia. This is Ed’s first ever piece of furniture of which the workmanship is superb. The table is based on the rio rosewood table made by JK back in 1968. Ed has a cabinet on a stand underway in shedua, afromosia and castello boxwood. The piece will incorporate many of the methods discussed so far in the second semester. Ed will be setting up shop in Kamloops following graduation.

Erik Copeland from Richmond Hill Ontario completed this bench quite a while back. The bench is based on a Danish inspired bench of which several variations have been done on number of occasions at the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program. It serves as a fine segue into chair construction. His second piece, a rocking chair in red cabruva is featuring tapered laminations and compound angle joinery in curves is currently underway. Erik is busy cutting the joinery for his chair which will receive a wrapped seat of material yet to be determined.

Matt Hales from London England completed this side table in beech and red cabruva a while back and has undertaken a rather substantial second piece. A liquor cabinet in macassar ebony and jatoba with apple interior. Matt has nearly all his veneer work completed and has moved onto the joinery. An pleasure to have as a student. Each morning, Matt arrives asks thoughtful questions, gets the answers he needs to proceed, puts his head down and gets it done!

A box in english brown oak by Walker Savage from Seattle Washington. Walker has taken on JK’s silver chest as his final piece. The chest will be made of some incredible claro walnut that we picked up at Gilmers this past fall. The stand will be made of pau ferro that he and alumni Federico Mendez Castro picked up in Seattle a few weeks ago. This is a substantial final piece to begin at this time in the program. That said, students have nearly four hundred and fifty shop hours available to them prior to the show. Walker has requested to remain on for part of the summer as a Resident Craftsman in order to complete the piece while at the school. Even with limited space during our first Artisan session we are happy to make space for this fine young craftsman. Walker intends to have the cabinet ready for the show with the stand to follow.

Douglas Hagerman from Gibsons British Columbia gives his piece a once over just prior to his final assembly. Douglas and Robert recently pulled a few planks of claro walnut from our dehumidification kiln which Douglas intends to use for a writing desk based on JK’s desk of Italian walnut built in 1978. While students at Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking are encouraged to design their own pieces, they are never discouraged to remake exceptional pieces made in the past. With a strong effort to be made to maintain true to the design of these pieces.

A lovely piece of doussie, china berry, cocobolo and spanish cedar full of subtle curves and details by Paul Nielsen from Evergreen Alabama. Paul has his second piece underway, a fly tying desk of english brown oak and shedua. Paul will have his hands full completing this piece for the show however with Paul’s strong work ethic and enthusiasm I am confident he will be complete. Paul will be assisting with our summer programs and completing a chair to go with his desk before heading back to Alabama with his wife Robyn where he intends to set up shop. For which Paul is already acquiring the necessary tools and machines. We expect big things from this fine young craftsman.

Daisuke Tanaka from Nishio-shi, Aichi-ken Japan completed his exquisite box of kwila, spalted beech and ash this week. The workmanship is among the best I have seen from any student. Have we mentioned that prior to attending the program Daisuke hade no woodworking experience whatsoever? This piece and others are being sent out for professional photography this week. Daisuke, will begin the construction of his bench that he will complete while he leases Brian Newell’s shop in Japan over the summer. Robert will be encouraging Daisuke to make a small stool for his bench in between now and the end of the program. We are grateful that Daisuke and his fiance Mia will be joining us this fall as Daisuke undertakes his second year of study at the school.

Adam Larson from Edmonton Alberta completed this letter box in paduok a while back and has undertaken a teak rocking chair which features deceptively complex joinery of which he is dialing in as I write. Adam, Jodie and Franka will be returning to Edmonton for the summer before returning for Adam’s second year of study. We are very grateful to have Adam and his lovely family back this fall. Adam’s partner Jodie is a writer who will use the time to do freelance work and care for their lovely daughter. Jodie’s office overlooks Howe Sound and is only steps from the water.

Dan Cearley from San Jose California completed this piece last month and has taken on a cocobolo and yew showcase cabinet which feature compound curves, pierce carvings, marquetry and glass. Dan has his laminations complete and currently has the joinery underway. Dan is preparing our lofting ducks for sand casting as an after hours project. Dan only sleeps about six hours a day, which leaves him ample time for his many side jobs.

Michael Miller from Halfmoon Bay British Columbia completed his very sweet convex, frame and panel,wall cabinet in teak, olive, london plane, ash and bocote this week and has already begun work on his final piece, a chair for the writing desk he intends to make in his second year. Michael took on the likely the most complex first piece of this years class and made everything from the hinges to the pulls. We are so grateful to have Michael’s evolvement with our school.

Faculty

Craftsman & Teacher Ian Godfrey uses a negative template to assist Ed in the selection of his castello boxwood veneers for the interior of his cabinet. Ian is working on a Danish inspired ash stool which features housed twin mortise and tenon joinery.

Gary Kent Relief Craftsman & Teacher and Erik discuss the joinery for his rocking chair. Gary has a showcase cabinet in white oak underway in his shop, a commission for a long time Vancouver client. This is Gary’s third year teaching at the school.

Resident Craftsman & Teacher Robert Van Norman continues to work on his chair in the afternoons. Robert is currently dialing in the coped mortise and tenon joint that joins the arm rest to the back leg which he expects to have glued up by the end of the week, before moving onto the crest rail. Robert’s lectures this coming week will include Chair Making and Life after School.

Alumni

Our Annual Student Alumni & Faculty Show will once again take place at the James & Britta Krenov Gallery and Gallery Five located just across the courtyard on May 9th 2008 at 7pm. If you have any new work you would like to present for this event please contact Robert or Yvonne at the school.

We are in the process of setting up websites for each of our Craftsman Program alumni. Please forward any images or text you would like included on your web page including a biography to yvonne@insidepassage.ca

Artisan & Craftsman for Programs 2008

There is limited space available in our Artisan Programs. If you would you would like more information or would like to register call Yvonne toll free at 1.877.943.9663. Alternatively registrations may be faxed to 1.604.885.9711.

We have confirmed our first-year students for the 2008-2009 Craftsman Program. The group consists of men and women from Japan, Ireland, Columbia, United States & Canada. We are currently accepting applications for the 2009-2010 Craftsman Program.

New Program

Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking is pleased to announce the addition of a new program at the school. The Resident Artisan Program picks up where the Artisan Program leaves off allowing graduates of our Artisan Program the opportunity to return to the school and for the designing and making of a fine piece of furniture under the direction of Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking Faculty and Resident Craftsman.

There is limited space in this program. Currently the first session is full and we are accepting registrations for the second session which runs from July 14th to August 22nd. If you would like more information about this program contact the school and arrange for an initial consultation with our Program Director.

Updates

Students, Alumni and Faculty of the school are busy preparing pieces for our annual show next month. If you would like to attend and need accommodation please check our our fine local Bed and Breakfasts for availability. Thank you for your interest in our small family operated school.

Warmest Regards,
Robert

New Program

Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking is pleased to announce the addition of a new program at the school. The Resident Artisan Program picks up where the Artisan Program leaves off allowing graduates of our Artisan Program the opportunity to return to the school and for the designing and making of a fine piece of furniture under the direction of Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking Faculty and Resident Craftsman. There is limited space in this program. Currently the first session is full and we are accepting registrations for the second session which runs from July 14th to August 22nd. If you would like more information about this program contact the school and arrange for an initial consultation with our Program Director.

JK Lectures

The week before break Jim discussed the inspiration and the making of his silver chest. Next week Jim will discuss chairs with this years class. While Jim is quick to point out that chairs have never been the focus of his work, his insights into this aspect of our craft have been invaluable to our faculty and students.

Jim Krenov continues to lecture on a weekly basis. Segments from these lectures will soon be available on our website. We are very grateful for Jim’s evolvement with the school. His words continue to inspire a new generation of craftsmen.

Journeyman Program

Jason Klager’s completed his second Journeyman term at Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking. While at the school Jason demonstrated Marquetry and provided this years class valuable insight into their pieces. The above detail is of Jason’s first piece as a student at Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking. It shows his carved pulls of Cocobolo on Doussie, his attention to details and craftsmanship. Jason’s Showcase Cabinet is featured in the current issue of Fine Woodworking Magazine. We are grateful for his evolvement with the school and are hoping to bring Jason back for the end of the year push for the show and graduation ceremonies. A special thank you goes out to his wife Christine who literally kept the home fires burning the the snow shoveled to allow Jason to join us.

Resident Craftsman Program

Doug Ives from Gibsons British Columbia completed his final glue up of the carcass and has moved onto his applied edges. This week Doug will be moving onto the stand which will leave him with ten drawers and two curved doors. While the students were on break, Robert installed a window between the benchroom and machine room giving Michael more natural light in his corner. Doug suggested that it was painful watching me drywall and has undertaken this as a side activity at the school. Doug continues to be one of my favorite people and is a fine ambassador to our school.

Juan Carlos Fernandez from Caracas Venezuela does a mockup to test his compound angled shop made hinges before committing to the installation of them into his cabinet. Juan has a he right mind set for this type of work. We are looking forward to Juan joining our faculty this summer. Students have a great deal to learn from this fine young craftsman. Juan and his wife Beatriz received visits from Beatriz’s mom and brother as well as a childhood friend of Juan’s from Venezuela this past month. We are pleased to announce that Juan will be joining our faculty in May.

Craftsman Program

Ed Tickle from Kamloops British Columbia prepares his negative templates to be used to select his grain graphics. Ed has all his leg, frame and veneer stock parted out and is completing the preparation of his substraights. The table top cabinet is a delightful palette of Shedua, Afromosia and Castello Boxwood. Ed and Robert are heading down to Bellingham Washington next week to look at a Felder combination machine for his shop. Robert will be making several trips this summer to visit and assist alumni in setting up their shops.

Erik Copeland from Richmond Hill Ontario dials in the shop drawing of his joinery for his rocking chair of Red Cabruva which is now underway. With the layout bench filled with glue ups and his bench is filled with parts, Erik has taken to the floor by his bench to check joinery before heading to the mortiser. At this time of year every horizontal surface in the shop is filled with work underway.

Matt Hales from London England with the Apple veneers for the interior of his liquor cabinet of Macassar Ebony with integrated Jatoba stand. Matt looked at Cedar of Lebanon and eastern Maple before settling on a sweet piece of Apple which Robert brought back from Gilmers this past fall. Now that his interior veneers are settled Matt has moved onto the pressing of his veneers and substraights. Matt will have his hands full with this rather large piece which includes some interesting joinery and will require shop made hardware.

Walker Savage from Seattle Washington shown here finishing off his box in English Brown Oak, Olive and Cedar of Lebanon has most of the material parted out for his silver chest which will be made of Claro Walnut and Pau Ferro. Walker has been making good use of our dehumidification kiln as the Claro Walnut he selected at Gilmers was approaching thirty percent moisture content. Most of it is down to manageable levels now. Walker caught up with alumni Federico Mendez Castro in Seattle over the break where he selected the Pau Ferro material for his stand.

Douglas Hagerman from Gibsons British Columbia has installed his shop made hinges in his box of Indian Rosewood, Red Cabruva and Tiger Myrtle and has begun the dialing in of the doors. The top of the box is concave with the doors being convex. Douglas has completed the mockup for the stand which will include tapered laminations. Douglas has some exceptional Claro Walnut for his final piece, a desk based on the French Walnut desk made by JK and featured in The Impractical Cabinetmaker.

Paul Nielsen from Evergreen Alabama completed the mockup of his fly fishing desk which he now has underway in English Brown Oak and Shedua. Paul had to skin the stretchers for this desk to give him the desired graphics. A process in which the stretchers are essentially veneered. When doing work of this kind allowances must be made for shaping. With this complete Paul will be turning his attention to the joinery which will include twin live, floating and through and wedged mortise and tenon. Paul and his wife Robyn will be joining us for the summer before they return to Alabama where Paul will be setting up a shop.

Daisuke Tanaka from Nishio-shi, Aichi-ken Japan completed his drawers and has attached the box to the stand. He has moved onto the pulls. With this exceptional piece nearing completion Daisuke will be turning his attention to a bench as his next piece. Daisuke will be leasing Brian Newell’s shop for the summer before returning this fall while he continues on with a second year of study in our Resident Craftsman Program. Daisuke received a visit from his fiance Mia over the break who will be joining him in Roberts Creek this fall. Daisuke has developed into a very fine craftsman. First year student will benefit a great deal by just watching this fine young craftsman work.

Adam Larson from Edmonton Alberta has spent much of his time outside enjoying our lovely spring weather with the steam box. Adam has all of his parts bent and laminated and has moved onto the double open mortise and tenon joinery on angles and curves. Adam, his wife Jodie and daughter Franka will be returning to Edmonton for the summer before returning this fall while Adam takes part in our Resident Craftsman Program. Adam has very good hand skills and a good eye and will set a fine example for next years first year students. Adam has shown a strong sense of community always willing to lend a hand. We are so pleased to have Adam and his lovely family with us for another year. Adam’s father will be joining us this summer for Plane Making and Surfaces.

Dan Cearley from San Jose California applies his laminated baked in edges to his Baltic Birch substraight for his showcase cabinet. The cabinet will feature Costa Rican cocobolo frames and Nicaraguan cocobolo veneered panels which include pierce carving and marquetry. The cabinet has a V front which flows into a subtle curve. Robert and Dan have been discussing the possibility of bring back Dan for the Journeyman Program when our Craftsman students begin Tool & Hardware Making this fall. Dan sets a fine example of multitasking as he always has lots on the go. Over the break he used the schools Alaskan Chainsaw Mill to slab out some incredible local cedar burls. He has also constructed a forge to be used for tools making.

Michael Miller from Halfmoon Bay British Columbia shapes the pulls for his drawers. The pulls are cut out using a coping saw, then shaped using carving tools, knives and files. Michael’s wall cabinet is nearing completion and has his mockup dialed in for a desk chair to be made out of Bubinga which he has parted out and settling, while he completes his cabinet. Michael has shown a real commitment to the school and the program putting in twelve hour days and commuting four forty five minutes twice each day. Michael’s daughter Mandy will be joining us from California for this years graduation Ceremonies which will be held at the Gumboot Cafe in Roberts Creek. We are pleased Michael will be joining us for a second year at which time he will build a desk for his chair. Following graduation Robert will be assisting Michael in the dialing in of his shop in Halfmoon Bay.

Craftsman & Teacher Ian Godfrey assists Michael with the final fitting of his back panel. With his shop complete, Ian has a Danish inspired stool in ash underway which includes a twin housed compound angled joinery. Ian continues to develop as a fine craftsman and teacher and all of us at the school are grateful for his evolvement.

Resident Craftsman & Teacher Robert Van Norman assists Matt with the selection of his apple veneers for the interior of his liquor cabinet. This week Robert’ s lectures included the making and installation of slider bolts, locks, drop and ring pulls. We began a new teaching schedule this week at the school. Robert spent each morning lecturing and with the students and spent each afternoon this week at his bench. The students have been very supportive of this and have made an effort to use this time to work. Students continue to bring questions and use the opportunity to watch Robert at work. Robert will be participating in our weekly walkarounds which take place each Monday at the school. Gary Kent our Relief Craftsman and Teacher has made an effort to join us for these sessions bringing his valuable insight to our craft.

Candid

Another future woodworker and the apple of his dad’s eye, Douglas and Danielle’s son Lukka

Robert takes his turn at cleaning the bags of the dust collector.

Alumni

Our Annual Student Alumni & Faculty Show will once again take place at the James & Britta Krenov Gallery and Gallery Five located just across the courtyard on May 9th 2008 at 7pm. If you have any new work you would like to present for this event please contact Robert at the school.

We are in the process of setting up websites for each of our Craftsman Program alumni. Please forward any images or text you would like included on your web page including a biography to yvonne@insidepassage.ca.

Artisan & Craftsman for Programs 2008

There is limited space available in our Artisan Programs. If you would you would like more information or would like to register call Yvonne toll free at 1.877.943.9663. Alternatively registrations may be faxed to 1.604.885.9711.

We have confirmed our first-year students for the 2008-2009 Craftsman Program. The group consists of men and women from Japan, Ireland, Columbia, United States & Canada. We are currently accepting applications for the 2009-2010 Craftsman Program.

Guest Faculty Programs

As you may have noticed, with our Craftsman and Artisan Programs enjoying increasing popularity and after careful consideration we have cancelled our guest faculty programs for 2008. We have decided to reevaluate these programs for 2009. This summer, we will use these two weeks to make renovations and improvements to the school and gallery. We also hope to get away camping with our family and enjoy this incredible place in which we live.

Updates

Accreditation and website updates are still underway. Thank you for your patience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our students past and present for their support, this school not only exists for you but because of you. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Ian Godfrey and Gary Kent our part time teachers for their assistance and of course Yvonne for keeping the school and our family on course.

Warmest Regards,
Robert

JK Lectures

Jim Krenov continues to lecture on a weekly basis. Segments from these lectures will soon be available on our website. We are very grateful for Jim’s evolvement with the school. His words continue to inspire a new generation of craftsman.

This week we asked Jim to reflect back on the making of his silver chest. David Welter graciously sent copies of Jim’s original drawings this week which were nice to have on hand for the Jim’s lecture. As a student and a teacher, I continue to be inspired as he refelcets back on our craft.

Journeyman Program

Jason Klager from Prince George British Columbia teaches Marquetry to this years class. This is Jason’s second visit taking part in our Journeyman Program. We are very happy that he plans on making this yearly pilgrimage back to the school. Robert & Yvonne held a Elephants in his honor at their home on Friday. We were joined by students, faculty, alumni, family and friends for a pot luck supper. We are hoping to bring Jason back for the end of the year push for the show and graduation ceremonies. Robert was grateful for the time at his bench.

Jason’s Benchroom

Resident Craftsman Program

Dry fit and dialed in cabinet by Doug Ives from Gibsons British Columbia. Doug is finishing off his hinges and will soon begin the dozen or so glue ups of his carcass before changing his focus on the ten drawers, two doors and stand which will feature tapered laminations. In addition to his own work Doug is always willing to assist his fellow students and is a fine ambassador to our craft and our school.

With his veneer and applied edges work nearly complete Resident Craftsman Juan Carlos Fernandez from Caracas Venezuela lays out for his offset compound angled hinges to allow free travel of his doors with minimal extension of the hinge. It has been a real pleasure for me to watch the progress of this innovative craftsman over the past two years. I look forward to his evolvement in a teaching capacity with the school.

Craftsman Program

Ed Tickle from Kamloops British Columbia completed his first piece a while back but decided to hold off and present with Walker, Dan and Paul this week. The table is a based on a table of Rio Rosewood made by JK in 1968. Ed made his out of some very sweet Kwila and attached the top to the base with brass plates which had to be made with mortises milled at forty five degrees to accommodate wood movement. This is Ed’s first ever piece of furniture. It’s workmanship is at a level of which I am proud to exhibit in our gallery. Ed has a tabletop cabinet underway for his second piece in Shedua, Boxwood and Aframosia. His second piece will incorporate veneer, tapered laminations, dowel construction, pierce carving and hardware.

Erik Copeland from Richmond Hill Ontario has his laminated components out of the forms and has parted out the remaining parts of Red Cabruva. Erik has completed his shop drawings of the joinery for the chair. The chair will be made using multiple live and slip mortise and tenon joinery. The seat and back will be woven of a material yet to be determined perhaps Hickory bark? Erik will enjoy the complexity of the joinery he will soon have underway.

A very focused Matt Hales from London England edge glues his shop sawn Macassar Ebony veneers for the back of his liquor cabinet. Matt had sawn Cedar of Lebanon for the cabinets interior but was unable to make the graphics work. Matt discussed this with visiting craftsman Jason Klager and rather than force the wood they made the decision to go back and look for alternatives. A no compromise approached encouraged at the school. Matt will be looking for wood for his stand over the break and of course spending time with his wife Catherine. Woodworkers really seem to be blessed with supportive life partners.

Walker Savage from Seattle Washington presented his beautiful box of English Brown Oak, Olive, Cedar of Lebanon and silk to the class this week. The above photograph shows the detail of his hand woven silk lid stay dyed in black coffee attached to the carved Olive button on the interior of the box. A opening has been carved out of the tray’s side to allow the tray to move against the side of the box. This is the kind of details that brings a smile to my face and gives me that warm fuzzy feeling that our students really get the thoughtful approach to our craft embraced by this school. Walker’s presentation echoed his passion of his chosen craft. Walker will be heading down to Seattle over the Break to be with his family. Upon his return he will be making JK’s silver chest in Claro Walnut following the break.

Box by Douglas Hagerman from Gibsons British Columbia. Douglas completed his angled offset hinges this past week. Students are required to make their hardware when possible. Many find it a nice side activity. Having spoken to several of our graduates, I am pleased to hear many have continued with this practice. The box features angled and proud dovetails and curved frame and panel lids that will meet in a rebate. The box and frames are of Indian Rosewood and the panels of Tiger Myrtle, a gift from Robert. The bottom panels are of fragrant Red Cabruva. The selection of materials and workmanship of this piece is lovely. Douglas will be taking on a writing desk in Claro Walnut for his next piece. Wood he selected while at Gilmers. Before leaving for break, he will try to get his Claro Walnut parted out and in our dehumidification kiln to condition while he completes the box.

Paul Nielsen from Evergreen Alabama gave one of the most thoughtful presentations done at our school to date. He read quotes from both Jim Krenov and David Pye and presented his beautiful table top cabinet of Doussie, China Berry, Cocobolo, Spanish Cedar and Secupera filled with delightful details to his lovely wife Robyn. Paul has the mockup of his desk complete and has begun the selecting of his material. The desk will be made of Shedua with the stand of English Brown Oak. Paul will be staying on for the summer at which time he will be building a chair for his desk. We are so pleased to have this fine young Craftsman and his wife remain with us for the summer. I very grateful to have the opportunity to work with this fine young man as he begins his journey in our craft.

Daisuke Tanaka from Nishio-shi, Aichi-ken Japan has completed his stand for his box and has begun making his drawers in Kwila and Ash. Daisuke’s workmanship is among the best I have seen as a teacher. Daisuke embraces not the neglect of Machine tools but the emphasis of hand tools encouraged at the school. Daisuke’s fiance Mia arrives from Japan today for spring break.

Adam Larson from Edmonton Alberta had to get creative when it came to the bent laminations for his chair parts. For shaping purposes, his outside laminations had to be significantly thicker, nearly an inch and would need to conform to an inside radius of less than ten inches. These laminations would require steam bending prior to the lamination process. As the only time Robert has used steam bending in his own work was to straighten out a piece of wood he decided to consult with Ejler Hjorth-Westh and Michael Fortune, craftsman who use steam bending regularly in their own work. It was suggested that we were really pushing the limits of the material, in this case Teak. After several failed attempts, Adam and Robert decided to try kerfing the inside of the lamination prior to steaming, which would eventually be removed in shaping which enabled Adam to successfully make the bend as shown above.

Exceptional joinery and details by Dan Cearley from San Jose California. Dan presented his box of locally harvested and splated Arbutus to the class this past week and has already begun work on a curved showcase cabinet which will feature pierced carving, marquetry and likely a piece or two of handmade hardware. One goal Dan had when he arrived at the school was to cut fine joiery by hand, I think it safe to cross that one off his list. A thoughtful piece by a thoughtful craftsman and man.

Michael Miller from Halfmoon Bay British Columbia cuts some very fine joinery for his drawers. The fronts are Bocote, a gift from Robert and the sides and backs are Ash. Michael will be completing this piece in the coming weeks and has already dialed in the mockup of a chair which he intends to make of Bubinga. Michael in addition to some Black Limba, Swiss Pear and Mesquite selected two tremendous planks of Bubinga while at Gilmers in November of which he also needs a stand for the desk he will build following the chair. It is a joy to watch Michael at his bench and in his life.

In addition to demonstrating the resawing of large timbers by hand, Craftsman & Teacher Ian Godfrey has been dialing in our machines which have seen a lot of use with the breaking out of material for second pieces.

With Jason Klager taking part in our Journeyman Program, Resident Craftsman & Teacher Robert Van Norman had the opportunity to work on his chair for a few days this past week. It also gave Robert the opportunity to reflect back on has passion for his craft.

Following spring break Robert will extend his teaching to five mornings a week and will work and be available at his bench in the afternoons, a schedule that will ensure the needs of our students and the schools faculty are met. Robert has always envisioned a working school, where students have the opportunity to observe the teachers in thier work.

Candid

Daisuke takes his turn at the Nastiest job at the school

Ed winds up Michael for the morning

Alumni

Our Annual Student Alumni & Faculty Show will once again take place at the James & Britta Krenov Gallery and Gallery Five located just across the courtyard on May 9th 2008 at 7pm. If you have any new work you would like to present for this event please contact Robert at the school.

We are in the process of setting up websites for each of our Craftsman Program alumni. Please forward any images or text you would like included on your web page including a biography to yvonne@insidepassage.ca.

Artisan & Craftsman for Programs 2008

There is limited space available in our Artisan Programs. If you would you would like more information or would like to register call Yvonne toll free at 1.877.943.9663. Alternatively registrations may be faxed to 1.604.885.9711.

We have confirmed our first-year students for the 2008-2009 Craftsman Program. The group consists of men and women from Japan, Ireland, Columbia, United States & Canada. We are currently accepting applications for the 2009-2010 Craftsman Program.

Guest Faculty Programs

As you may have noticed, with our Craftsman and Artisan Programs enjoying increasing popularity and after careful consideration we have cancelled our guest faculty programs for 2008. We have decided to reevaluate these programs for 2009. This summer, we will use these two weeks to make renovations and improvements to the school and gallery. We also hope to get away camping with our family and enjoy this incredible place in which we live.

Updates

Accreditation and website updates are still underway. Thank you for your patience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our students past and present for their support, this school not only exists for you but because of you. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Ian Godfrey and Gary Kent our part time teachers for their assistance and of course Yvonne for keeping the school and our family on course.

Warmest Regards,
Robert